The Star-News

Sweetwater talent shines through at South Bay League track finals

Fri, May 17 2013 11:02 PM Posted By: Phillip Brents

The Sweetwater Red Devils should be competing on a new all-weather home track by next spring. It reasons the state-of-the-art facility should only increase interest in track and field at the National City school, which is already brimming with talent.

That talent parade was put on display at this year’s South Bay League finals, held May 9 at Otay Ranch High School. Of the four athlete of the meet awards presented, Red Devil athletes won three of them.

Maria Garcia earned honors as the league’s female field athlete of the meet while Jose Martinez received the league’s male track athlete of the meet award and teammate Jose Higuera was named the league’s male field athlete of the meet.

“The boys and girls performed outstanding,” SuHi coach Tim Latham said. “We only had one thing not go our way. If you can say that, you’ve had a pretty good meet. That’s OK.”

Garcia tripled in winning individual titles in the 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump while earning a silver medal in the 4x100 relay.

Higuera won gold medals in both the shot put and discus throw while Martinez captured first place in the 400 dash, won another gold medal in the 4x400 relay and placed second in both the 110 high hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles.

Chula Vista’s Daniesha Burrell earned the South Bay League’s female track athlete of the meet award after winning titles in both the 200 and 400 dashes and 4x100 relay while placing second in the triple jump.

Honor rollOtay Ranch’s Xander Law cleared 16-0 to set a new school record in the boys pole vault. He joined Eastlake’s Wesley Braddock (shot put champion) as the Mesa League male field co-athletes of the meet.

Olympian’s Isaiah Gibson earned recognition as the Mesa League male track co-athlete of the meet after speeding to titles in the 200 dash, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. He shared the award with Otay Ranch’s Mark Bjornsson, who set personal records in winning both hurdles events.